I agree completely with the author. Synchro-swimming is a real sport, just like synchro-diving is, but please let them lose the make-up and the silly outfits!! Only then will the sport, which now can be watched under water, be taken seriously.
Synchro for Dummies
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One of my high-school teammates once lost her noseclips upon diving in the water during a meet. (This is the mortal fear of every synchronized swimmer, and why we carry extras inside our suits.) She had no choice but to keep going, and to her happy surprise, she discovered that she was able to plug her nose simply by pushing her lip up against it. That's how Jones does it.
It's all about how you're built. You can test this at home. Submerge yourself in the bath, scrunch up your face and tip your head back. I can't do it, but maybe you're one of the lucky few.
4. What's the most difficult move?
Here's a rule: the easiest moves are the ones that look most impressive—formations of swimmers connected together in the shape of a star, for instance. At a slightly higher level, there's the "split rocket": a pair of legs shooting up from underwater, opening into a split position and disappearing again underwater. The former is a move for a 5-year-old, the latter for an 11-year-old.
The reverse is true, too. The hardest moves are the least spectacular. Toughest of all? Straight legs out of the water up to the upper thighs, the board-flat body spinning perfectly on its vertical axis (no tipping or leaning) while maintaining its height. This is as exciting to watch as an upright plank of wood rotating on a Lazy Susan. But it's the triple lutz of synchro.
5. Are there any men in synchronized swimming?
There are, but they sit on the sidelines. A few years ago, the American Bill May—a truly incredible athlete—was one of the best synchronized swimmers in the world. Because of the rules, he was forbidden from competing in the Olympic Games in a sport he'd trained in all his life. It was a disgrace. May was a fighter. I grew up in a town not far from him and watched him endure and improve despite years of discouragement and ridicule.
The rules need to change. They're arbitrary and connected to an old-fashioned view of synchronized swimming as the pastime of bathing beauties. Like figure skating, synchronized swimming should feature both men and women, sometimes together, sometimes separately—always in sync.
Jen Graves is a writer for The Stranger in Seattle. She retired from synchronized swimming in 1995, but still takes noseclips with her to the pool.
© 2008
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